Connector means



Oct. 4, 1966 ,1. F CURRIYAN 3,

CONNECTOR MEANS Filed March 28, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JoH/v/T CURR/VAN Oct. 4, 1966 J. F. CURRIVAN 3,276,109

CONNECTOR MEANS Filed March as, 1963 5 Sheets- Sheet 3 INVENTOR 5 JOHN f. CURR/VAN A'IZC ZI QIEYS J. F. CURRIVAN CONNECTOR MEANS Oct. 4, .1

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 28, 1963 INVENTOR N m R R U C E N M J A ORNEYS 4m? United States Patent 3,276,109 CONNECTOR MEANS John F. Currivan, 65 Nehantic, Old Saybrook, Conn. Filed Mar. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 268,742 3 Claims. (Cl. 29200) This invention relates to apparatus for quickly and easily assembling, securing and dis-assembling two or more parts to facilitate the installation of one of a series of gage or like members on a supporting base.

It is a principal purpose and object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for facilitating the rapid installation of one of a series of interchangeable parts on a supporting :base particularly where the parts are inaccessible or beyond the reach of conventional tools.

Additional objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are transverse sections taken along line 22 and 3-3 respectively of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged elevation of one of the pin alignment stations.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, all of the mechanism of the present invention is mounted on an open web frame indicated generally at 20 having longitudinal rails 22, 24 and 26 connected by lateral rails 28, 30 and 32.

The principal components of the mechanism include a work feeding mechanism indicated generally at 34, a preliminary alignment station 36, a final alignment station 38, a tube rejection station 40, a detector mechanism 42 for detecting the presence of a faulty tube at the final alignment station 38, and a control mechanism 44 actuated in response to the detector mechanism 42 for actuating the rejection mechanism at the station 40. V

The work feeding mechanism 34 is of thewalking beam type and includes two fixed rails 46 and 48, the inner rail 48 being mounted on a series of fixed tie rods 50 extending between the frame member 22 and a separate frame member 52 and the rail 46 being mounted on a series of sleeves 54 received on the rods 50 for axial adjusting movement. The sleeves 54 are provided with racks 56 which mesh with a control gear 58 having an operating handle 60. The pair of movable rails 62 and 64 are mounted outboard of the rails 46 and 48, respectively, on sleeves 66 and 68 rigid with a shaft 70 connected by crank arms 72 and 74 to shafts 76 and 78, both of which are driven by any suitable means. The sleeve 68 includes radial washers 80 and 82 which hold the rails 46 and 64 in predetermined spaced relation while permitting their free relative vertical and lateral movement. Accordingly, inward and outward adjustment of the rail 46 produces corresponding adjustment of the rail 64.

Enlarged openings are provided in the fixed rails 46 and 48 where the shafts 70 project through these rails to permit the required circular movement of the shafts.

The upper edges of the rails 46, 48, 62 and 64 are provided with V-notches 84 of a suitable size to receive the bodies of the tubes. Accordingly, when the shafts 70 are rotated, a tube resting in the notches in the fixed rails 46 and 48 is lifted, transferred laterally and deposited in the next succeeding notch in the fixed rails.

Thus, the mechanism produces a continuous step-by-step "ice motion of the tubes T, one of which is shown in phantom lines adjacent the main aligning station 38.

The axial position of the tubes on the walking beam feeding structure is determined by a fixed rear guide 85 carried by the front frame rail 22 and a movable front guide 86 carried by rods 87 which are conneced by means not shown to the rods so that the guide 86 follows the same path as the moving beams 62 and 64. In operation the tube connector pins ride aganist the flat surface of the guide member and the guide member 86 contacts the opposite end of the tube above the projecting tip usually provided on such tubes.

The main aligning station 38 includes a fixed gauge or socket 90 into which the pins of the tube are inserted by a plunger mechanism indicated generally at 92. The

gauge 90 is provided with a plurality of bores 96, the

outer ends of which are countersunk as at 98 to facilitate entry of the tube pins into the bores. The bores 96 are accurately aligned and have the same spacing as that desired in the connector pins of the tube. The number of :bores exceeds the number of connector pins by one, since all radio tubes have one pin missing to facilitate positioning the tube in a socket. Thus, insertion of the pins into the bores 96 provides the exact alignment of the pins required.

The gauge 90 is mounted on a fixed sleeve 100 suitably secured to the front frame rail 22. Surrounding the gauge 90 is a guide mechanism comprising a pair of arcuate blocks 102 and 104 rigid with the outer ends of guide studs 112.

These nuts are tightened or loosened to clamp or release the plate by a tool having a handle 114 and parallel racks 115 and 116 each of the latter being engageable with one of the nuts 113. The tool may also be provided with a single rack if desired. Accordingly, when the tool is in the position shown in 'FIGURE 6 and moved to the right as viewed in that figure the nuts 113 may be quickly and simultaneously tightened. When the tool is moved in the opposite direction the nuts are simultaneously released. This system provides an extremely convenient, quick means of detaching a unit such as the guide plate 110 which is received in a confined space not readily accessible with conventional tools.

Guide plate 110 is provided with an upwardly facing opening 117, the maximum width of which is slightly greater than the diameter of the circle on which the tube connector pins are mounted. Along its bottom surface the opening 117 is provided with three pin receiving grooves 118. When any two of the connector pins of the tube are disposed in these grooves these pins and the remaining pins are accurately lined with the bores 96 in the gauge 90.

The elevation and lateral travel of the movable rails 62 and 64 is such that when a tube reaches the main align- 3 carried by a movable bracket 126 in turn mounted on a shaft 128 rotatably Supported in brackets 130 and 132 carried by the frame 20. The shaft 128 is oscillated through an arc of about 20 to raise and lower the wheel 120 by a crank member 134 secured to the shaft 128,

the crank member being connected to a pushrod 136 which carries a cam follower 138 which rides along the surface of a cam 140 carried by the cam drive shaft 142 mounted in the frame webs 28 and 32 and driven by any suitable means, not shown. A spring 144 connected to the frame 20 and to the pushrod 136 normally raises the wheel 120 to a position out of contact 'with the tubes, the wheel being periodically lowered into tube contacting position by the action of the cam 140 and the follower 148. The wheel 120 is driven by a flexible shaft 146 connected to any suitable power source. The combined action of the spinner wheel 129 and the alignment plate 110 assures the automatic accurate positioning of the tubes T for insertion into the alignment gauge 90.

When the tubes are in this position the pusher mechanism 92, which comprises a nylon head 150 carried by a rod 152, reciprocably driven in timed relation with the other components of the mechanism by a suitable cam drive system details of which have been omitted, is advanced to move the connector pins P into the gauge 90. The base of the tube body contacts the guide plate 110 to urge it inwardly together with the blocks 104, 192 and guide rods 106 and 108.

The inner ends of the rods 106 and 108 are connected by a crosshead 154 to a pin 156 carried by a rod 158 slidably mounted in a sleeve 160 supported by the frame member 124. At its opposite end the rod 158 is provided with a through pin 164 which contacts a downwardly projecting flange on one arm 168 of a bell crank 169 pivotally supported on a pin 170 carried by the frame member 124. A spring 172 connected to frame member 32 and to the outer end of the other bell crank arm 174 biases the bell crank in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1. Thus, the spring 172 is effective to bias the guide plate 110 and the associated mechanism to its outermost position shown in FIGURE 1. The guide block 110 is also positively driven in this direction to assure positive ejection of the tubes from the socket 90 by a cam 176 carried by the main drive shaft 142 which engages a downwardly projecting portion of the pin 164.

In each normal operation the bell crank 169 is temporarily retained in its rotated position to which it is moved by the action of the plunger 92. For this purpose the bell crank arm 174 carries a flange member 180 which, when the mechanism is at rest, engages a top surface 182 of a retainer member 184 pivotally mounted as at 186 to a bracket 188 carried by the frame member 30. A spring 190 connected to the bracket 188 and to a stud 192 mounted on the retainer arm 184 normally biases the retainer arm upwardly against the bottom of flange 180. When the bell crank arm 174 is displaced to the left in a normal cycle of operation the flange 180 moves beyond the end of the surface 182 and the arm 184 is biased upwardly to dispose a shoulder 194 against the side of the flange 180 to prevent return movement of the bell crank. This holding action is provided to keep the rejector mechanism control microswitch 196 carried by the bell crank arm 174 temporarily out of the path of an actuating pin 198 mounted in a fitting 200 on the main drive shaft 142. After the pin 198 passes the region of the microswitch 196 a cam roller 202 carried by a fitting 204 on the main drive shaft 142 engages a flange 206 on the retainer member 184 moving the retainer 184 downwardly to release the flange member 180 from shoulder 194 to permit return of the bell crank under the influence of spring 172 to the position shown in FIGURE 1.

This normal operation is altered when a faulty tube is detected at the alignment station 38. Invariably any one of the tube connector pins which is so far out of alignment 246 to the full line position.

that it cannot be received in the gauge is bent inwardly against the base of the tube. When this occurs the bent pin will contact the outer end of a plunger 210 which extends through the face of the gauge 90 and slidably extends through the mount into a block 212 to which it is secured by a pin 214. The block 212 carries a pin 216 adapted to engage arm 220 of a bell crank 222 pivotally supported on a pin 224 carried by the bracket 214. The other arm 226 of bell crank 222 normally projects over a notch 228 in the retainer member 184. Accordingly, when the bell crank 222 is in the position shown in FIGURE 1 a retainer member 184 is free to move upwardly to temporarily detain the bell crank arm 174 as explained above. However, when a defective tube is presented at the aligning station 38 with one or more pins bent inwardly against the base of the tube, these pins will contact the outer end of the plunger 210 when the tube is pushed toward the socket by the plunger mechanism 92. The plunger 210 in turn will rotate bell crank 222 slightly in a counterclockwise direction to dispose the end of bell crank arm 226 over the surface 182 thereby holding the retainer member 184 against upward movement and preventing engagement of flange and the shoulder 194. Accordingly, the bell crank arm 174 will be returned by the spring 172 to dispose the microswitch 196 in the path of the actuating pin 198.

Actuation of the microswitch 196 operates the control mechanism 44 and the injector mechanism 40 in a manner now to be described. The control mechanism 44 includes a gear 230 rotatably mounted on a shaft 232 supported in suitable bearings provided in the opposite walls 234 and 236 of a bracket assembly carried by the frame member 32. The gear 230, which is driven in timed relation with the remainder of the mechanism by a gear 238 carried by the end of the main drive shaft 142, carries a plurality, for example, 10 equally spaced plunger mechanisms indicated generally at 240. Each plunger mechanism comprises a fitting 240 held in position on the gear 230 by a snap ring 244 and a movable plunger 246 pro vided with two spaced grooves 248 and 250 which are selectively engaged by a detent ball 252 urged into one of the grooves 248 and 250 by a spring 254. Thus, each of the plungers 246 is adapted to be held in either of the positions shown in FIGURE 1. Motion of the plunger in either direction is limited by a pair of snap rings 256.

The plungers 246 are urged to their full line position by a pin 260 actuated by a soleniod 262 carried by the bracket wall 234 and the plungers are urged to their dotted line position by a similar pin 264 operated by a solenoid 266 carried by the bracket wall 236.

A pair of microswitches 268 and 270 suitably mounted on the bracket wall member 234 are provided with a common actuating blade 272 which is disposed in the path of the plungers 236 when they occupy their dotted line position and which is out of the path of these plungers when they occupy their full line position.

By the use of suitable circuitry, not shown, the solenoid 266 is controlled by the microswitch 196, the solenoid 262 is controlled by the microswitch 268, and a third solenoid 274 carried by the frame member 222 for operating the ejector member 276 is operated by microswitch 270.

Thus, when a faulty tube is detected at the alignment station 38 the microswitch .196 is actuated in the manner described above to energize solenoid 266 and to move the adjacent plunger from the full line position to the dotted line position. After a predetermined time interval the one of the plungers which has been so moved travels around the axis of the shaft 232 and eventually actuates the microswitches 268 and 270 by contact with the blade 272. Actuation of the microswitch 268 operates solenoid 262 to advance pin 260 to return the displaced plunger Closing of the microswitch 270 actuates solenoid 274 to advance the ejector plunger 2% to displace the defective tube, which is then opposite it, into a tube 278 which leads to a bin or other collection device in which the defective tubes are to be received. It will be apparent that it is merely a matter of selecting the right mechanical dimensions to make the time delay between the operation of microswitch 1-96 and solenoid 266 and the actuation of the microswitches '268 and 270 the same as the time necessary to move the defective tube from the aligning station 38 to the ejection station 40.

The mechanism at the preliminary alignment station 26, a portion of which has been omitted for clarity, is essentially the same as the mechanism at the alignment station 3-8 except for the omission of the mechanism for detecting a faulty tube. Accordingly, at this station the two bell cranks 16-9 and 222 and the mechanism for operating them is omitted. A cam 2 80, identical to the cam 176, is provided to eject the tube from the socket provided at the preliminary alignment station.

The alignment gauge and the alignment plate provided at the preliminary station are like the corresponding parts provided at the final alignment station except that the bores of the socket are slightly larger to accommodate slightly bent pins.

It will be understood that the gauges provided at the preliminary and final alignment station together with a guide plate provided at these stations and may be readily removed and replaced by similar devices having widely varying configurations to accommodate tubes of widely difierent designs. Also, all of the other components of the mechanism are readily adjustable to accommodate tubes of different sizes and the throw of the spinner Wheels 120 may be similarly readily adjusted to accommodate tubes of different diameter.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not res-trictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for detachably securing UWO elements together comprising .a member threadedly connected IO one element, said member having a surface adapted to clamp the other element against said one element, a tool for rotating said member, and cooperating surface formations on said tool and said member adapted to rotate said member upon essentially linear movement of said tool.

2. Means for detachably securing two elements together comprising a member threadedly connected to one element, said member having a surface adapted to clamp the other element against said one element, said one member having peripheral teeth, and a tool for rotating said member, said tool comprising an essentially straight toothed rack, the teeth on said rack being engageable with said teeth on said member, whereby said rack is adapted to rotate said member upon essentially linear movement of said tool.

3. Apparatus for assembling, securing and disassembling two members comprising studs fitted into one of said members, the other of said members being provided with openings to receive said studs, toothed nuts threaded on said studs, and toothed rack means for simultaneously and quickly rotating said toothed nuts upon linear movement of said rack means whereby said one member may be quickly attached or dissembled from the other member in a confined space.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,670,476 5/ 1928 Nicholson 29159.2 1,731,859 10/ 1929 Johnson 129-4592 2,095,964 10/ 1937 Bhickman 29Q00 2,387,981 10/ 1945 Davis 819O 2,536,677 1/1951 Brunner et al. 140 2,541,772 2/ 1951 Lock-ard 81-90 3,075 ,56 2 1/196 3 J'ankowski 140-147 3,093,894 6/ 196 3 Jurecka 29- 205 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES W. LANHA'M, THOMAS H. EAGER,

Examiners. L. A. LARSO'N, Assistant Examiner. 

1. MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING TWO ELEMENTS TOGETHER COMPRISING A MEMBER THREADEDLY CONNECTED TO ONE ELEMENT, SAID MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE ADAPTED TO CLAMP THE OTHER ELEMENT AGAINST SAID ONE ELEMENT, A TOOL FOR ROTATING SAID MEMBER, AND COOPERATING SURFACE FORMATIONS ON SAID TOOL AND SAID MEMBER ADAPTED TO ROTATE SAID MEMBER UPON ESSENTIALLY LINEAR MOVEMENT OF SAID TOOL. 